Although most would prefer not to remember the Patriots' 2024 season, it will inevitably be memorialized as the year of the Jerod Mayo experiment and Robert Kraft's crash back down to reality. The start of the post-Bill Belichick era was a dumpster fire that led the Patriots' owner to dismiss Mayo after just one season, bringing Mike Vrabel into the fold after his one year away from head coaching.
It had been rumored that he was the one Kraft wanted from the start, but Vrabel wasn't made available until after he had hired Mayo, and the 2024 season proved that he was probably right in his desire for an experienced head coach. That appeared to be Mayo's biggest flaw, as even players emphasized the overly lax atmosphere and lack of coaching as a misstep, but that isn't an issue moving forward.
Keion White was one of the more vocal players last season, who made it clear he wanted better teaching during practice and game time. Now that Vrabel is in the building, the third-year pass rusher is already loving what he's getting and hit Mayo with a hard line after minicamp earlier this week.
Keion White on a big difference this season:
— Savage (@SavageSports_) June 11, 2025
“Now, I feel like I have a coach” pic.twitter.com/aKK0iD5Rnl
Putting feelings aside about how this could be viewed as disrespect or as a harsh truth, White's words prove that Vrabel is doing all the right things in his tenure so far and will put the Patriots in the best position possible to succeed this fall.
Mike Vrabel is making sure that last year's woes for the Patriots are a thing of the past
The unfortunate reality of the Patriots' 2024 season is bleak, and it's a sentiment that will forever be associated with Mayo's lone season as head coach. He wasn't put into a position to succeed by Kraft or even his predecessor, but it's also fair to argue he didn't help the situation by surrounding himself with an inexperienced staff that made everything more difficult.
That, in turn, translated to the players, who suffered from improper coaching that appeared to be an effort to be the complete opposite of what Belichick had been in that role.
While it was understandable that the new regime wanted to establish a new culture that looked forward rather than backward, it wasn't wise to abandon everything that had worked for the team over the last two decades, which seemed like Mayo's objective in many ways.
Vrabel is proving that it won't be a problem under his watch, and that's already being reflected in how the players are responding to his coaching. By all accounts, the head coach has received rave reviews from players who have been on the team to those who just signed this offseason, and this trend has continued with White's latest comments.
It also proves that he put together the right staff, and the players are already benefiting from their experience. Hopefully, we'll see this continue once they take the field, too, and the Patriots are a competitive team that fans can be excited about. It's so far, so good at this point.